Month: January 2016

Hint From Ken:
Pay attention to the scallops, the shrimp and the pasta… All of these ingredients are easy to overcook… Cook the angel hair and remove 1 min before “al dente” (see box for time)… It will continue to cook a bit after removed…
Try to find “dry packed” scallops because they need to be dry when they are cooked. Many places soak them in a liquid solution to preserve their color.
They are fine but will need to be patted dry with paper towels before preparing. They have a small muscle on the side of them called an abductor muscle or “foot”. This needs to be removed because it is chewy. If it’s still there you can’t miss it – just tear it off.

Next…
Peel and devein shrimp with a small knife under cold running water… Make a small incision in top and bottom and remove vein from under cold gently running water.
Place prepared shrimp in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil… add salt, pepper and stir. Set aside…
Very lightly salt and pepper scallops and set aside…Next:
Boil a BIG pot of salted water
Prepare grill… bring to medium heat…
Add scallops and shrimp on a wooden skewer or grate where they won’t fall through… close grill lid. Cook 2 min.
Add pasta to boiling water…
Flip scallops and shrimp and cook 2 more min then set aside with a loose piece of foil over top…
Drain pasta and add to tomato gravy and toss…
add fresh basil and parmesan reggiano cheese…
Place scallops and shrimp on top of pasta and serve.

Try to find the freshest WILD salmon you can and buy when in season from a reputable source. Responsibly farmed salmon can be found when wild is unavailable and is worth doing your homework to get. Make sure to use fresh herbs in pesto aioli for it to work.

What you’ll need:

-3 lb. Fresh Wild Salmon (cut in 6 oz fillets)

-Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-1/4 cup grated grand padano or parmesan reggiano cheese

-Juice of 1/2 lemon

-1 garlic clove

-1/4 cup of walnut pieces

-1/4 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley

-1/4 cup of fresh rosemary leaves

-1/4 cup of fresh thyme leaves

-1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves

-1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt

-1/8 teaspoon of fresh cracked pepper

-1/4 cup of dry white wine

First:

Lay salmon skin side down on pan and lightly brush with olive oil and dust with freshly cracked pepper.

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit while preparing grill.

Next:

In a small food processor…combine 1/2 cup of olive oil with cheese, lemon juice, garlic, walnuts, salt, pepper and herbs and blend into a pesto.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small skillet on medium heat…add wine and whisk…spoon in pesto mixture and whisk together…reduce to low heat…

Next:

Brush a clean grill grate with olive oil to prevent sticking…

Grill Salmon Skin side down for 2 to 3 minutes with grill top open.

Then gently slide metal spatula between skin and fish and carefully flip.

(With a fork remove grilled skin and discard.) Grill for 2 more minutes with grill top closed…(based on a 3 inch thick filet…maybe a minute longer if thicker but do not over cook or will be dry…Try not to flip more than once)

Hint From Ken:
It’s a good idea to plan on putting pasta in boiling water about the time you put the fish on the grill so that everything ends up ready together…

The texture and temperature of food will be more on point as well as the appearance. This dish may seem like a lot of work but is actually quite simple if you have your ingredients out and ready and someone to share a glass of wine with while you cook. Might be helpful to give the recipe a good read through first to familiarize yourself with the process.

As always…Buy the freshest and best ingredients you can afford. Note that this recipe serves 8 so adjust accordingly for fewer servings. Serve with fresh crusty bread and *salted rosemary butter…

Sauce for pasta:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a large cutting surface, slice peppers and onions into about 1 inch pieces and place in large bowl. Next, slice shallots and garlic cloves in half and add to bowl along with tomatoes. Drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil over vegetables then sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper and and equal amount of kosher salt. Using 2 wooden spoons, toss everything in bowl together with and pour contents onto a flat baking pan layered with a sheet of parchment paper…

(Can use a non-stick pan if you don’t have parchment paper but parchment makes for a no stick easy clean up)

Bake for 40-45 Min…(set aside bowl)

When vegetables are roasted and nicely browned transfer from oven back to bowl…

Add 1/2 of oregano and all of basil and toss…

Next, spoon vegetables in to food processor or blender along with half and half and 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar…

Puree mixture into a cream sauce. Transfer to stovetop in a pan and add salt and pepper to taste…

Grill for 2 more minutes with grill top closed…(based on a 3inch thick filet…Maybe a min longer if thicker but do not over cook or will be dry…Try not to flip more than once)

Transfer fish to pan and loosely place a sheet of tin foil over…

Let rest for 5 minutes.

Sauce for fish:

In a skillet melt butter on medium heat and add juice of fresh squeezed lemon, white wine and other half of fresh oregano. Whisk together and keep warm on medium low heat.

Asparagus:

Wash asparagus and gently bend one at a time until they break. Discard tough ends. In a deep enough bowl, mix sugar and cold water…soak asparagus for at least 30 minutes to return fresh taste. Remove and pat dry. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pat of butter on medium/high heat…

Sauté asparagus for 5 minutes stirring often and reduce to low heat.

Squeeze a lemon over top of asparagus and salt lightly…

Pasta:

Prepare al Dente in large pot with lots of well salted water. Strain and drain pasta and then transfer servings to wide shallow bowls or plates…add a scoop of vegetable cream sauce over top of pasta…

In a skillet melt butter on medium heat and add juice of fresh squeezed lemon, white wine and other half of fresh oregano. Whisk together and heat.

Next plate fish with salt and peppered side up on side of pasta and vegetable sauce…Sprinkle parmesan – reggiano over top of cream sauce and spoon lemon butter sauce over fish and serve hot. Accompany with fresh crusty bread and salted rosemary butter.